Cover Placement on Dredged Marine Clay Reclaimed Deposit

Abstract

This paper presents a case history of geotextile-reinforced dry cover placement on a reclaimed clay deposit treated by progressive trenching method. In order to investigate the effects of the cover material's characteristic of ensuring trafficability with respect to bearing failure and ground deformation, two types of covers were considered in pilot tests: a layer of weathered granite soil cover and a layer of weathered granite soil over stiff crushed stone. A number of in-situ plate load tests were conducted for various cover conditions to assess the bearing capacity of the reclaimed deposit and to determine the thickness and material compositions that satisfy the bearing capacity requirement. In full-scale pilot tests for cover placement, field monitoring was carried out for the surface settlement and pore pressure that developed in the reclaimed clay layer. The results of plate-loading tests and monitoring during staged cover placements are discussed and compared using numerical predictions obtained from both finite element analyses and undrained stability analyses. The comparison results showed that the drainage condition of the ground surface facing the dry cover is strongly related to the ground response and stability.